In this episode we talk about online meetings and how to make them engaging and productive. We break down the key elements of a successful online meeting and give some tips on how to increase engagement. We know that nonprofit people spend a lot of time in meetings–board meetings, staff meetings, event planning meetings, etc. Our goal is to support you as you plan an intentional gathering that makes a difference.
Questions to reflect on before you listen:
Think about your online meetings. How are they going? What is working? What is not?
Discussion questions:
- What resonated with you about this conversation? What would you like to take back to your organization?
- Nonprofit folks have struggled with an outcome-based meeting agenda prior to going online. Many agendas walk through a series of reports which were already lackluster in person. They are even more challenging when people are muted and have cameras off. We invite you to be more intentional about your agenda, how you will engage people, and what your outcomes are going to be. How could you bring more intentionality to your meeting agenda, so that it is not a series of reports?
- We try to accomplish a lot in an online meeting, but in reality we can use other tools to get the work done. We don’t need to cram everything into the meeting. We can use video to share information, one-on-one conversation to build our social connection, and small group discussions to network and build a sense of team. What could you pull out of your meeting plan and accomplish in other ways?
Word of the Week: People
What does “people” mean to you and your organization as you think about how you gather right now?